Improvement in feed-water heaters for steam-boilers



UNITED STATESPATENT OFFICE.

B. A. HOPKINS, OF SODUS, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN FEED-WATER HEATERS FOR STEAM-BOILERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 8.3, 161, dated October 20,1868.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, B. A. HOPKINS, of Sodus, in the county of Vayne and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvementin Feed-W'ater Heaters; and Ido hereby declare that the following is a clear, full, and exact description thereof, which will enable those skilled in the art to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanyng drawings, forming part of this speciiication, in which- Figure 1 is a side view of my invention, and Fig. 2 is a plan view.

Similar letters of reference indicate like parts. l

This invention consists in introducing the feed-water of a high-pressure engine into the exhaust-pipe in such manner that the feedwater and exhauststeam are commingled and travel together in said pipe a sufficient distance to bring the water to the boiling-point by condensation of 'steam before reaching a tank or reservoir, into which the hot feed-'water falls, and from which it is supplied to the boiler by the feed-pump, as hereinafter more fully explained.

1n the accompanying drawings, A is the boiler. B is the engine or cylinder, and O is the exhaust-pipe. E is the cold-water pipe, and D the hot well or tank.

The exhaust-pipe O terminates in a coil, c, and the cold-water or supply pipe E connects with the exhaust-pipe in an oblique manner at the beginning of the coil c, as shown in Fig. 2. A constant ow of feed-water is kept iiowing through pipe E into the coil c of the exhaust-pipe, and the exhaust-steam, coming in contact with the water, is condensed, and brings the temperature of the water up to that of the steam or to the boiling-point, and the water is then discharged into the tank or hot-well D, from which it is pumped into the boiler A by feed-pump a.

If the flow of water in pipe E is consider-v able, the exhaust-steam is nearly or quite alll condensed, so that but little steam enters the tank D; but an escape-pipe, d, is provided for carrying off what steam may enter the tank D.

The tank is provided with a waste-pipe, j', which carries oif surplus water from the tank, and keeps the water at a uniform height in the tank. The supply or flow of water in pipe E is a constant stream, while the iiow of the exhaust-steam is intermittent; but the length of the coil c from pipe E to tank D is such that cold water flowing down the coil between the puffs of the exhaust is overtaken by the next escape of steam before it can reach the tank.

The quantity of water which flows from pipe E into the coil is sufficient to only partially fill the coil at any place of its cross-section, and steam has access to all parts of the water, and they are thoroughly commingled in traversing the coil together without creating back-pressure in the engine.

Thisv construction of heater has been put into practical operation, and is found to work well, heating the feed-water up to 2090, and from that to the boiling-point, and causing a material saving of fuel over the ordinary heater, which it has displaced.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

The exhaust-pipe G c and cold-water pipe E, in connection with tank D d j', all constructed, arranged, and operating as herein shown and described, and for the purpose set forth.

The above specification of my invention signed by me this 29th day of May, 1868.

B. A. HOPKINS.

Witnesses CHARLES LINDANMAN, ROBERT C. FEN'roN. 

